The smooth operation of a doctor's office, a clinic or a hospital requires the hard work of a great number of behind-the-scenes support personnel as well as doctors, nurses and dozens of other specialized health care professionals. Medical office assistants perform a wide variety of support duties in health care settings. Clinical medical assistants help doctors and nurses with basic lab tests, sterilizing tools, prepping supplies, getting patients ready for X-rays and other treatment-related tasks. Administrative medical assistants keep records, help patients fill out forms and code procedures for insurance reimbursement, among other office tasks.

Education and Training

Administrative medical assistants are generally required to have a high school diploma. While a few employers will hire medical assistants and train on the job, most employers prefer to hire medical assistants who are certified or who have an associate degree in medical assisting. Most vocational schools and community colleges offer medical assistant programs. Medical assistant certificate programs usually take around a year to complete, while associate degrees typically take two years. Many medical assistants choose to take an exam to earn a profession certification in medical assisting after completing their training.

Paient Reception and Intake

One of the primary responsibilities of an administrative medical assistant is to greet patients and help them with the initial intake paperwork. If the patient is a returning one, the medical assistant pulls up the individual's files, and for a new patient, fills out several forms and confirms insurance coverage. Admin medical assistants also frequently make phone calls to other health care professionals to schedule tests or examinations, to arrange for supplies or to arrange the picking up of lab samples, for example.

Record Keeping and Insurance Processing

Maintaining patient records and processing insurance claims are also part of the job description of a medical office administrative assistant. In the 21st century this means using electronic health records software and electronic databases. The curriculum at modern medical assistant training programs emphasizes learning the commonly used EHR software suites. Medical assistants also typically spend a good bit of time entering in insurance codes for the procedures performed on patients to file claims for reimbursement.

Pay and Job Prospects

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical assistants took home a median salary of $28,860 in 2010. Their pay is likely to increase, however, as the demand for medical assistants is expected to become very high as the U.S. population ages. The BLS projects employment growth of 31 percent for medical assistants between 2010 and 2020.

About the Author

Clayton Browne has been writing professionally since 1994. He has written and edited everything from science fiction to semiconductor patents to dissertations in linguistics, having worked for Holt, Rinehart & Winston, Steck-Vaughn and The Psychological Corp. Browne has a Master of Science in linguistic anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.